Some people have celebrity crushes, but not me. Instead, I have character crushes. For the most part, I’d almost rather not read about stars, or watch interviews with them–eventually, they will always let you down. They are people, after all! Characters however… well, if they ever do something you don’t like, you can just blame the writers. If you’re into fanfiction, you can write a new version of the scene to make up for what your poor character went through.

I’ve blogged about Sherlock a few times, both here and at Indie Jane. The BBC’s drama is my newest television addiction. I pretty much love everything about it, but the character of Sherlock himself is my favorite part. He’s fantastically brilliant and has an incredible eye for detail. Of course, he’s also capable of being quite cruel to those who can’t keep up with his intellect, but all heroes need a flaw, yes? My love for Sherlock goes so far that I’ve come to call myself a deerstalker stalker. Poor Sherlock, it’s always about the hat.

Is it any wonder that when I needed a new character for Loving Miss Darcy, I based him partially on Sherlock? Sebastian Montgomery doesn’t possess Sherlock’s vast array of esoteric knowledge (he won’t be giving a treatise on the different kinds of tobacco ash anytime soon), but he does have the same critical thinking skills. Really, when you analyze Sherlock’s deductive abilities, that’s what it boils down to: He sees the details and almost instantly understands what they mean. That takes critical reasoning to a whole new level.

Seb is not just a Sherlock copycat, however. He may know everything about you at a glance, even if he hasn’t seen you in two years, but he isn’t cruel. He understands people and society’s mores far better than Sherlock does. (In other words, he’s not a “highly functioning sociopath.” He’s just really smart.) He does disdain relationships, but not because they get in the way. It’s his way of rebelling. (Against what? You’ll have to wait to find out.)

I wrote one scene with him and realized he needed his own book. This is the project I’ll be working on for NaNoWriMo this year, and I seriously cannot wait to dig into him… I mean, into the book. Okay, yes. So I have a slight crush on my character. Better to like him than not, yes?

You’ll be hearing more about Sebastian in the next few months as I figure out various bits of his story. I already know his family is rife with drama, what with the grandfather who all but disowned his father and the aunts and cousins who don’t approve of his work for the government.